To people who are night owls either by nature or circumstance, getting up to do a productive morning routine can seem impossible. But it's possible to claim this quiet and uninterrupted time for yourself. I am biologically wired to do better at night. I catch a second wind at about 9 pm, and then I am off to the races, mentally alert and ready to flex my creative muscles. If I give in to it, I will work until 1 or 2 am, at which point I force myself to go to bed because I know the consequences rather than because I'm tired. I don't allow this to happen often. After all, I am employed outside the home, and I…
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A system of record is the single place you check to get information. This episode looks at identifying systems of record for the basic components of a productivity system: calendar, email, task management and notes.
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Our 30 day challenge this month is to rise early. But rising before the dawn doesn't net you anything if you don't put that uninterrupted time to use. And even if you aren't doing the challenge, you can still craft a productive morning routine that helps set the tone for the day. I've worked on and off with early rising and morning routines for years. But as a night owl, it is hard for me to function in the morning. Even as I write this, I am fighting the impulse to go back to bed and get another hour's sleep. But I know that if I do cave, I will miss the satisfaction of getting important things done before I…
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Productivity isn't just about what you do. It's also about what you don't do. Today I'll give you 20 things that productive people don't do. Do you do any of them?
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Welcome to the second of the 30 day challenges. By doing 30 day challenges, I explore a topic that I feel will make my life more deliberate and productive. This month I will be looking at rising earlier. My schedule is such that I feel busy all the time. I don't feel like have uninterrupted time. I get up, go to work, and then when I get home I am bombarded with household tasks, exercising, and various evening commitments, not least of which is time with my family. I felt like I never had time to work on projects that were important to me. Non-fiction reading, fiction writing, blogging and crafting are wedged into the odd fifteen minutes I can…
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Today we look at unpacking a common concept: intentional living. We'll look at what intentional living is and the foundations. We'll also talk about what deliberate living is, and how to get there.
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The inaugural edition of The Earnest Life where I share my background and obsession with productivity. Support me at Patreon: You can find all the episodes over at Patreon.
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Productivity is a mental game as much as it is about doing things. One of the limiting beliefs I hear people tell themselves over and over is, "I don't have time." I used to be a chronic "I don't have time" person, but I have found that I actually do have time to do more things than I thought possible. Today we'll look at how I use those chunks of time to get more done.
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When people think about productivity, it's often about the physical actions. But the mental game of productivity is just as important as the physical actions. Today we look at how to get into the productivity mindset.
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I recently heard on a podcast that minimalism is a mind game - that it's not about getting rid of stuff as much as it is about getting rid of distractions. I've never heard it phrased that way before, but it clicked. I've dabbled with simplicity for years. In fact, my long-time readers will remember when this blog was called "simple productivity" - and focused as much on simplifying as it was on productivity. But minimalism? I could never get behind having 100 items in my life or 30 pieces of clothing or a single pen (a single pen? I'd get the shakes from withdrawal!) And when you look at minimalism as a mind game to eliminate distractions, it becomes…
